NGC/IC Project Restoration Effort

===== NGC 6981 17.5" (7/17/01): at 380x, the halo is very irregular and the globular has a very uneven surface brightness. The non-symmetrical halo is elongated ~E-W, perhaps 4'x3'. The brighter 1.5' core is covered with a sprinkling a 8-10 faint stars. From the core there are short ragged extensions to the SW and NW with a few resolved stars. More prominent is a nearly detached clump on the east side which is extended ~N-S and contains roughly 8 easily resolved stars over haze. In total, perhaps two dozen stars are resolved in moments of good seeing. 17.5" (8/13/88): very mottled at 280x, 3' diameter. About 20 stars are resolved at the edges and over the core. 17.5" (8/2/86): very mottled, ragged irregular appearance. 15-20 stars resolved over the disc. 13.1" (9/29/84): very mottled non-symmetrical appearance with a bright core. Roughly a dozen stars are resolved mostly on the east side of the core. A brighter mag 13.5 star is in the NE side of the halo.